How to Find a Lost Dog...page 2.
Most importantly, remember, lost dogs do not usually range. They usually stick to one particular area. Now, your dog might have travelled a couple of miles before she got to that area, or she might be around the corner, but odds are, if she's loose and not stolen, that she's either with someone or she's staked out an area. Make sure to look for her at her regular meal times. This seems to bring lost and frightened dogs out of hiding, being the creatures of habit that they are. Rule of thumb, though, expand by one mile in each direction for every day she's been missing. And call all Animal Control Officers, shelters and vets in those areas. Mail flyers to all local vets...those within 30 minutes driving distance.
Create 'drop zones' where you can leave food and an article of your clothing so that if she runs across it, she will stay with your scent. We successfully found one of my own dogs that I had recently placed when she escaped her new owners and couldn't be caught. We had reports on her in an area, left a shirt there, and there she stayed until caught. (She was terrified and wouldn't go near her new owners.) If possible...and she's used to it...leave her crate outside, too.
Since I spend a good part of my day looking for lost dogs, I can tell you that they are really easy to miss. They can be five feet away and you'll miss them, but they are creatures of habit and, even when lost, they stick to a routine.
You need to think like a dog. What does she like? Where would she be most likely to head? Is there another house or yard in the neighborhood similar to yours? She might be there. If she's crossed a street, she might have a visual barrier preventing her (in her mind) from returning. Follow the lay of the land; which way would 'you' be most likely to go if you were she? Put one of your other dogs on a leash and see which way it's inclined to head for a general idea. Try a whistle...like a gym whistle...which carries a lot further than a voice and instantly catches a dog's attention.
If you suspect the dog may have been stolen, state on the flyer that the dog is microchipped and, if it's a bitch, that she is spayed. I put NEEDS MEDICATION in large print on my flyers and posters. And, if at all possible, offer as large a reward as you can afford.
Stating that a dog is microchipped or tattooed on the flyers and posters gets results. I had one returned almost immediately after I added that. We believed the dog had been 'removed' from its yard unwillingly and when it was known that the dog could be positively identified, even at a later date, it was returned.
If you are thinking someone 'has' the dog because there have been no sightings...two things. As you are driving around looking, tape one of those large posters to the back of your vehicle so that everywhere you go, people know 'somebody' is still looking for this dog and is NOT just going to go away!
And last, try writing in big red letters on the poster "BELOVED CHILD'S PET". Maybe you'll tug at someone's heartstrings if they think the dog belongs to a child.
Good Luck!
Darla Duffy
Sheltie Rescue
